Owners to open Italian eatery next door early this summer
By LAUREN ROMANO
VIEW STAFF WRITER
MARLENE KARAS/VIEWRazio coffee shop employee Robert Miranda assembles a latte on Jan. 17. The coffee shop also has soups, sandwiches and salads made fresh every day.
Advertisement
Josh Thomsen, the full-time chef at Razio coffee shop in Anthem, believes that food should be fresh and prepared in-house.
"What elevates our coffee house is that no coffee house has an in-house executive chef," Thomsen said.
The seasoned chef makes soups, salads and sandwiches at the store every day.
A full menu includes the chef's favorite smoked turkey panini, which is made with Fontina cheese, arugula, roasted peppers and pesto. There also are soups made fresh daily, and salads, including a Southwest salad made with romaine lettuce, mesquite turkey, corn, black beans, marinated tomatoes and ranch dressing, and a seasonal fruit salad, which is hand-cut daily. Lunch items are served on actual plates and cost $4.55 to $7.50.
Pastries, muffins and bagels are available fresh each morning for $2.50 to $2.75.
Thomsen, who has worked at the Bel Air Hotel, French Laundry, Mansion at the MGM Grand and Tao at The Venetian, among others, said he decided to partner with the Razio family because of the way owners Jon Jannotta and Michael Vespi do things.
"They want the best and know what it takes to get it," Thomsen said.
The anchor of the Razio drink menu is the coffee. Razio's uses Community Coffee, which has been made in New Orleans since 1919.
The menu has everything from brewed coffee, espressos and cappuccinos to lattes and blended frozen drinks called granitas. There also is hot, iced and chai teas and hot chocolate.
Speciality drinks include mixtures of raspberry and dark chocolate, vanilla, almond and white chocolate, and chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. Drinks range in price from $1.55 to $4.40.
The cafe is the first phase for the property at 2500 Anthem Village Drive, Suite 140. Town Development Corp.'s Jannotta and Vespi decided to put their own retail stores in the building, which they own. The next step is Razio Pizza Kitchen, which is scheduled to open early this summer.
"The pizza place will have a bar and gaming," Jannotta said. "It's a one-stop shop entertainment complex."
The 7,450 square foot complex will have a full dining room for 110 people, a bar and 15 video poker machines. The cafe also will be used for carry-out from the Italian eatery.
Thomsen is designing the menu and said some of the signature items will include goat cheese beignet with ratatouille and basil-infused evo; calamari fritto misto with artichokes, zucchini and San Marzano tomato sauce; and Neapolitan-inspired thin-crust pizza. Meals should be priced from $25 to $30.
"We'd like to make it rustic and fun," Thomsen said. "Italian food isn't snooty."
The cafe offers free wireless Internet access and is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
